Look for the Moments
by onceuponamirror
Summary: A collection of related oneshots, all of which take place during the year Emma and Henry live in New York. Various Outlaw Queen, Rumbelle, Captain Swan, and Charming Family Feels ahead. Chp2: An attempt from Robin to apologize to Regina for their first meeting has unexpected results.
1. flattery will get you nowhere

"We need to stop," Leroy growls, hiking his satchel farther up his back. "It feels like we've been walking for days."

"And here I thought your name was Grumpy, not Whiny," Regina snaps over her shoulder. "We can rest when we get to the Dark Castle."

"Regina," Mary Margaret admonishes gently, frowning. "Leroy is right. We could all use the rest. Who knows, maybe a night's rest would make you strong enough to…poof us there in the morning."

Regina whirls around and opens her mouth, snark poised on her tongue, but as she lays eyes on the group, the words die in her throat. They all _do_ look exhausted. Belle leans against Neal's shoulder, Hook appears indifferent but nonetheless drained, and one of the dwarves is actually even asleep standing up. (Though she's pretty sure that's actually the one they used to call Sleepy.)

But trekking forward, walking on—that's the only thing keeping her emotions at bay, holding her together, swallowing her thoughts of losing Henry, losing Storybrooke, all her hard work. She'd always known her happy ending would be bittersweet, but she'd never been prepared for how much.

She's not ready to face it, and the grumbling of others has never forced her hand before. She _can_ keep pushing. She _can_ keep walking. Just a little farther, just a little—but then her eyes flick to Mary Margaret, who watches her with such weary, knowing eyes, and the thought falls.

"The castle isn't much farther ahead," Belle pipes up, in a kind tone. "We could make it by dawn."

"No," Regina exhales, hands rising to rub at her temples. "No, this is a good a place as any to rest. This is the last empty clearing for miles, and we'll need one to survive any possible ogres."

"What about other…things?" Neal asks, scratching at the back of his neck.

Regina purses her lips disdainfully, but before she can bite out her planned insult, David speaks up, patting his sword affectionately. "There's nothing in these woods we can't handle," he says, flicking his gaze between his wife and the pirate.

Sighing, Regina throws her hands into the air in exasperation, stalking off to make camp.

* * *

They awake to the sound of screaming.

Regina rises groggily, eyes half open until another round of yelling and inhuman screeching fills her ears.

"Get up, Regina!" Hook shouts, quickly followed by the unmistakable sound of an unsheathed blade. "Get up!"

The high-pitched shriek sounds again, this time accompanied by the heavy beating of massive wings. The dawn sky is hazy and gray, but illuminates the source of the cries: it at first appears to be a great brown bird, but as it barrels closer to them on the ground, Regina gets a better look at it, eyes widening as she recognizes it.

"A griffin!" David yells, scrambling to his feet. The beast roars once more, circling the group.

The dwarves immediately take off running to the woods, save for Leroy. "No!" Mary Margaret bellows after them. "Don't scatter!"

The griffin's head snaps in the direction of the dwarves, shrieking and diving downwards. It lands directly in front them, pawing aggressively into the dirt, and gives a threatening growl.

_If beasts could smirk_, Regina thinks. She clenches and unclenches her fists, trying to get a jumpstart on a fireball. Her magic is still weak from counteracting Pan's curse, but she should be able to manage a little fire. After a few testing snaps of her fingers, a spark bursts alive in her palm.

"Duck!" She shouts, unfurling it quickly, and pushing the blaze towards the griffin. The dwarves drop to the ground just in time, the griffin howling in pain as the flame hits its shoulder.

Belle, Neal, and the arrow-less Snow fall back as Regina, Hook, and David rush forward.

"Oy, hey Ugly!" Hook calls, raising his hooked arm high over his head. "You like your meat salted? Well come and get me! Nice and tasty sea-faring pirate!"

The creature whips around, following the noise. It's eyes land on Hook, pausing before another ear-splitting cry erupts from its beak. Hook breaks into a run, leading the griffin away from the others. David follows after, and Regina quickly figures out what they're trying to do: surround the beast and kill it while one of them distracts it.

She falters. Their plan is risky, but doable. And if it fails, either the flirt or the idiot dies, neither of which she'd really shed a tear over. _But they're Henry's family_, a small voice reminds her, pushing her forward. She groans. _The things she does for love_.

She pulls back her elbows and turns up her palms as they grow alight with flame. She thrusts them forward suddenly, sending the fire barreling towards the griffin with more force than before. It hisses and cries, lifting itself into the air as it writhes in pain. The flapping of its wings only fans the flames, but it beelines for her still, looking no less enraged.

It hits the ground forcefully, facing her head on, clearly prepared to take her down with it.

"You wanna dance?" she smirks, gathering her strength and focusing it all on her spell. Her fingers fly out, and the beast freezes, a ripple of magic passing over it before it disintegrates in a pile of purple dust.

She doesn't have time to gloat.

As soon as the griffin disappears, she quickly takes notice of the arrow rapidly whizzing towards her face. She waves her hand across the air and flinches, capturing it with a freezing spell it just seconds before it impales her through the eyes. Regina gasps, and the arrow falls to the ground, hitting the grass silently. She stares at it before whirling around, making sure there's not another.

She looks to Hook and David, but they're both turned to face the edge of the clearing. A quick glance back at Mary Margaret and the others tells her the same, so slowly she turns, following their gaze.

That's when she sees him.

A hooded man dressed in green is breaking across the grass in a full sprint, a quiver in his grip. Half a dozen or so others follow him, but none move as swiftly as the man in front. "Are you alright?" He bellows, striding towards her. "Milady, are you—"

He stops suddenly in front of her, panting wildly, and pulls the hood down over his shoulders. Wide hazel eyes, a coif of perfectly mussed blonde hair, and no light smattering of stubble, the man gapes at her for a few moments, catching his breath. "Alright," he breathes out finally, getting a hold of himself, "Are you alright?"

Regina's mouth falls open, surprise briefly flitting over her features before being replaced by a sneer. "I am now," she sniffs, sweeping her hands over her riding pants. (She remains endlessly grateful she decided to change out of the ballgown she'd arrived in). "No thanks to you."

The man frowns, his eyebrows knitting together. "That arrow was intended for the beast," he explains to Regina's now retreating form. "If you hadn't spelled it away, I assure you it would've hit target."

She whirls around, eyes enflamed. "Excuse me? This is _my_ fault?"

"Not at all!" The man is quick to add, holding up his hands defensively. "But I had it under control."

"Clearly," Regina scoffs, rolling her eyes and neck, her hair flipping around her shoulders. "Which is why _I_'m the one who took care of it?"

"We've been tracking that griffin for days," he says after a moment, gawking at her in disbelief, his demeanor slowly wearing impatient. "I never miss a mark, milady. I was only trying to _save you_."

"The last time I checked, the cost of chivalry wasn't my own damn life," Regina hisses, stepping closer.

He lets out a sudden, hollow bark of laughter, and throws his hands into the air, swiveling left and right. He raises his voice, "Well the last_ I_ checked, at least the price of chivalry was not nearly as steep as the price of magic."

"I don't remember asking for a lecture," Regina snaps, "Especially not from a man priding himself on being an overgrown boy scout."

His forehead wrinkles in confusion, but as he opens his mouth with a retort, his eyes flick to the left, where the others have huddled, watching on. "Snow?" He whispers, squinting, before shouting, "Snow! Is that you?"

The dark-haired woman slowly steps forward, trying to make him out at the distance, before lighting up and running towards them. "Robin!" She cries, throwing her arms around him. "What are you doing here?"

The expression of the man—Robin—immediately twists from indignation to a happy grin. (And no, it doesn't bother Regina at _all_ that once again Snow White is the one to put a smile one someone's face. And even if it _did_, it's not like she _cares_.) Robin releases her, beaming. "What am I doing here? What are _you_ doing here! You haven't been seen since the Queen's curse!"

_Not this again_, Regina sighs to herself, shifting on her feet.

"Well…we're back," Mary Margaret says, her smile slowly falling.

By now, the others have wandered over as well. Recognition crosses Neal's face, and it lights up in a grin. "Hood! Hey man!" He calls, moving to embrace the archer.

"Baelfire," Robin greets. "Back so soon? Where's the Lady Emma?"

Regina glances at Hook, whose expression has immediately soured. Neal looks down, kicking his feet at the grass. "Not here. But she's safe."

Robin's eyebrows knit, but he nods understandingly. Regina, meanwhile, exhales through her nose loudly, drawing his attention back to her.

"Does everyone here know you except me?" She frowns, masking her curiosity with a sneer.

"I've no bloody clue who this," Hook chimes in brightly, but he goes ignored.

"I've been unlucky to avoid the pleasure," Robin says in a politely snide voice. He dips into a bow, never breaking eye contact. "Sir Robin of Loxley, milady."

Regina scoffs. "Someone went through the trouble of knighting you?"

"Ah, that, there!" Robin exclaims, jerking upright and pointing at her. "And they say flattery will get you nowhere."

Regina smirks thinly, hands on her hips.

"Regina," Mary Margaret chides. "This is an old friend of mine. He can help us."

"Regina?" Robin echoes, realization slowly dawning. "Regina…the Queen? The—"

"Evil Queen, yes," Regina bites out defensively. "So?"

But Robin only stares at her. She braces herself for the fear in his eyes, the cowering, or the hatred, but it never appears. His expression is closed off, but not coldly. If she were to squint, she might even call it understanding—but she's never considered herself naïve before.

"What?" She asks, in a voice that comes out far shakier than she'd hoped.

"Nothing," Robin says finally, scratching his forehead. He turns to Mary Margaret. "We're staying at the Dark Castle if you wish to join us."

"That's actually where we're headed," she replies, flicking her eyes between the two cautiously.

"Well, it's a fair walk back," Robin says after a moment, eyes on Regina, "you can fill me in on the details on the way."

"Looking forward to it," Regina replies coolly, wrinkling her nose, hoping he'll pick back up on the banter from before. _That_, she can handle. The fighting, the bickering, the snide, undercutting remarks—nothing she doesn't know, maybe even enjoy, if you _really_ pressed her about it.

But he doesn't return her teasing. Instead, he just blinks, and turns on his heel.

It's his lingering looks, the slightly upturned mouth, the sympathetic eyes that she has no idea what to do with. No one has ever looked at her like that who wasn't Mary Margaret, and it makes her heart hammer all the more loudly.

It feels like swimming out to sea.

* * *

**a/n: okay so this was just supposed to be a simple outlaw queen headcanon fic based off what i wrote here and grew into a beast of a story because in my head, robin hood was snow's bandit/archery teacher so they know each other and then he obv knows neal **

**but first i wrote a fight sequence so regina could be heroic but of course i also want to write hook-having-emma-feels-in-the-enchanted-forest and then somehow i got rumbelle feels and want to write belle sad in the dark castle and then going to oz **

**and then what am i doing with my life do i write all this or anyway**

**anyway probably/potentially to be continued **


	2. something to add

**a/n: i obviously don't know what outlaw queen will really be like but in my head it's full of banter and ust but also understanding and non-juding- kind of like captain swan but still different because regina's natural sass barometer is like 10 notches higher than emma's and okay yeah**

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* * *

_Robin Hood. Of course he's fucking Robin Hood. _

She doesn't know why she didn't put the dots together earlier—in retrospect, she probably did, subconsciously, but at the time she was too distracted by his aristocratic smugness (_copycat_) and counting the ways she could wipe it off his face. Of all the citizens of the Enchanted Forest, they _had_ to run into the one with the high horse about royalty.

Regina hitches her pack up higher over her shoulder, exhaling through her nose loudly. They've been hiking for a few hours now; the Dark Castle is within sight, but with not enough horses to go around, their pace is slowed. Regina considered offering to poof everyone up, but her pride wouldn't allow it, not after the fight about magic she'd had with Robin. She also considered just saying fuck it and poofing _herself_ up, but some other strange, undiagnosed part of her wouldn't allow that either.

The archer marches up ahead of her, leading a brown mare by its reigns as he chats quietly with a larger man with wild, curly brown hair. They speak in hushed tones, and once, Robin glances back, his eyes sharp on hers. Regina's back stiffens, and she glances off, but when she looks back, he's still watching her. Finally, he turns back to his companion, hands off the reigns, and falls back.

He laces his fingers together and taps his foot, clearly waiting for her.

"Got something to share with the class?" Regina snaps, striding on past him. His steps are quick behind hers, and she can even swear she hears him chuckle.

"I wish to apologize for my lewdness earlier," he replies, smooth as silk.

"Fine, apology accepted," she sighs, flicking her eyes up to the sky.

He's quiet for a few beats, the crunch of the dirt under their feet filling the silence. Then, in an unabashedly amused voice, he says, "There isn't anything _you'd_ like to add?"

"Yes," Regina smiles thinly, "I'm feeling peckish. Got anything to eat?"

If he is trying to look annoyed, it doesn't work. "How about an apology?"

She lets out a noisy breath. "Don't you have an arrow to fire, or something? Some _other_ poor woman to try to kill, perhaps?"

"_For the love of_—" He cuts himself off, pinching the bridge of his nose. "I'm _trying_ to start over with you, milady."

Her feet suddenly heavy, she freezes in her step. For a long moment, Regina stares at him, her forehead creasing. "_Why_?"

The suspicion in her voice throws him off. "I don't know," he says finally, his voice much lower. Then, like a cloud disappearing from his face, the dapper grin returns, and his shoulders sway easily. "Maybe because we'll be at the Dark Castle in a matter of hours and I'd appreciate it if you didn't disembowel me in front of my son."

Regina swivels to look at him, raising one solitary eyebrow. "You have a son?"

Robin glances back, but keeps walking. "I do," he says, and she can just _hear_ the smile in appearing his voice, "Roland. He's four."

She can't help it; her expression softens. Her lips even twitch upwards, sighing gently. "Four. That's a good age."

At that, he stops, turning and giving her his full attention. He cocks his neck, looking at her as if for the first time. "You have a child as well?"

Regina casts her gaze down, then off, pretending to be interested in something in the tops of the trees. "I also have a son," she says finally, brushing past him.

He's quick to follow her, a bounce in his step where it wasn't there before. "Really? That—"

"I know I'm not particularly maternal, but you don't need to mock—" Regina snaps, whirling around. He was closer to her than she'd realized, and the words fall off her tongue as she realizes their proximity. She falters, then steps back. "You don't need to mock me."

"I wasn't going to," Robin says softly, his forehead furrowed in earnesty. He watches her carefully. "I was going to say it makes sense. You being a mother."

Whatever she was expecting him to say, it definitely wasn't that. Her mouth opens and closes once before tightly sealing itself in a grim line. She doesn't know what to say, so she settles for a nod, flustered eyes betraying her control.

"So how exactly do you know Mary Mar—Snow White?" She says finally, deciding changing the subject would be easier than addressing the compliment.

Robin's grin drops, suddenly looking uncomfortable. "We met when she was…ah, well, let's call it…living on her own, in the forest."

_Oh_.

"She'd escaped to my kingdom, and was living in Sherwood Forest during a time when it was overrun by a corrupt sheriff. She was lucky to have escaped jailtime, frankly. I caught her trying to steal bread from my camp. I was impressed with her tenacity, and offered to teach her to survive. To hunt."

A fond smile crosses his features, and Regina can't—or won't—place the emotion that surfaces. They may be letting the past be the past, but that doesn't mean she welcomes _another_ person's infatuation with the princess.

Regina raises an eyebrow. "_You_ taught her archery?"

He winks at her. "Someone had to turn a princess into a bandit."

She makes an indistinguishable sound from the back of her throat, eyes darting up ahead, where Mary Margaret walks arm in arm with David, speaking quietly. He follows her gaze. "I'm sure she spoke very highly of me," Regina says, rolling her eyes.

He inclines his head. "Not always," Robin replies softly, and oddly, Regina finds herself appreciating the honesty.

"It's a complicated history," she sighs, running her hands through her hair.

"I'm aware," the archer grins, "but you know, deep down, she seemed convinced you had a good heart."

Regina frowns, blowing out a long breath. "I assure you, that's the farthest from the truth."

Robin is quiet for a moment, his lips pressed together in thought. "If I may, Regina—anyone who thinks themselves unworthy of redemption usually wants it the most. You may not be the woman Snow spoke of, but you are not the woman your reputation precedes either."

Her expression falters, anxiety coating her lungs. "You don't know me."

"Perhaps not," Robin says, but his tone clearly belies any agreement with that. A heated look passes between them, one of the likes Regina doesn't recognize. It's not sexual—_sexual, she can handle_—and that's what throws her. Finally, he clears his throat, and bows, this time without sarcasm, glancing up at her through his lashes. "If you'll excuse me."

It's not until he's gone that she realizes her chest is heaving.

* * *

Mary Margaret laughs suddenly, throwing her head back as Robin animatedly continues his story ahead. Regina's lip curls, sarcastically miming the other woman's laugh as her eyes bore into the back of Robin's head.

Someone chuckles next to her, too close in her personal space for it to be anyone but Hook. "Something funny, pirate?" Regina snaps, swiveling her neck.

He chews on his lip, as if trying to bite down a grin. "I'd say so, love," he murmurs, the first mischievous glint in his eye she'd seen since they returned.

Regina huffs indignantly. "And what, pray tell, would that be?"

"The thing about thieves," Hook begins, and immediately Regina sighs, "is that you don't see them coming. By the time you realize what they've stolen—"

"Metaphors. Great."

"—it's already theirs. And that man, that man there—darling, he's the _prince_ of thieves. He's a pirate whose ocean is a castle."

"How the hell did Emma put up with this?"

At the mention of Emma, his eyes darken, flashing a threatening gleam. "You're missing my point."

Regina wrinkles her nose, sweeping a studying look over him. "You don't trust him?"

He laughs. "Oh no, I trust him fine. _I_'ve nothing he'd want."

Her gaze sharpens. "What's that supposed to mean? You think he wants to steal, what, my gold? My jewels?"

Hook fixes her with a strange look, something that dangerously borders pity. He inclines his head, raising a lone eyebrow. "I think he's after something a little more precious than that, love."

His implication sends a chill through her bones. Clearly the pirate has no idea what he's talking about. Just because _he_ ended up being a bigger sap than Prince Farming doesn't make him some kind of expert on the matter. "This conversation is over," Regina snaps.

Hook only laughs.

"Fair enough. But don't say I didn't warn you."

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**review? :)))))**


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